Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an alarming increase in proposed scope of practice expansions.

The American Medical Association is unrelenting in opposing these expansions on your behalf to ensure patient safety at every turn. We are determined to ensure that patient care is led by highly trained physicians.

“We’ve had some important scope of practice wins in 2022, with more to come:

“Colorado and South Dakota struck down legislation allowing physician assistants to practice independently without physician oversight.

“Bills that would have expanded scope of practice for APRNs in Wisconsin, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky were defeated.

“All scope expansion efforts in Washington were thwarted, and Alabama defeated multiple bills, including a law that would have allowed optometrists to perform surgery.

“Maryland beat back multiple bills attempting to expand scope for physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, and podiatrists.

“You can be sure that the AMA has your back-and we will continue the fight for patient safety and quality care while resisting unjustified scope of practice expansions.

Thank you for standing with us.

Gerald E. Harmon, MD

President

American Medical Association

The above is a note to doctors from the American Medical Association.  Notice the partial admission of motives in the first part of the sentence: “The American Medical Association is unrelenting in opposing these expansions on your behalf to ensure patient safety at every turn.” (italics added)

Harmon does not explain why this will ensure patient safety. It could be true that with a doctor in charge, a patient will be safer than with a doctor not in charge. But what Dr. Harmon does not address is whether the higher rates due to restriction of competition will cause some people not only to not go to nurse practitioners but also to not go to medical professionals at all.

HT2 Ross Levatter.